Testing a well pump starter

[Kays Supply]

Be very, very carfull pulling the pump when on old PVC. One wrong move and all you hear is a big splash as it hits the bottom. Make you a block by putting two pieces of hardwood together and drill a hole right where the two meet. Then drill at 90 degrees and put bolts to hold them together. Clamp it under the fittings while you unscrew the section up in the air.

 

[Phils]

Phils here is the link

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/136790-tractor-rim-capstan-winch.html

post 12

the rope got caught when I took this picture pulling the pump the 2nd time

tom

Great photos, tom. I sold my Case backhoe years ago so that idea is out, for me. My PT doesn't have outriggers and it'd be scary to try and rig anything up with it. I'd sooner use a block and tackle (and I'm actually giving that some serious thought!). I don't know what the thing is that you set on the well casing that "pinches" and holds the pipe as you remove pipes and get another winch grip. I've looked on eBay but not knowing what it's called makes it hard to search.

My biggest fear: rope breaking, pump falling into the well. I may just pay to have it done and rest easier.

I've been using a couple of MX60s, and recently added panels and an FM60. The FM wasn't charging as good as the MX and Outback noticed a post I made on their forum, contacted me, and last week shipped me another unit with the newest firmware (no charge). Apparently using a Xantrex inverter messes with the programming on the FM60 unless it has that newest firmware.

I'm glad you like that pump!

Phil

 

[Phils]

Be very, very carfull pulling the pump when on old PVC. One wrong move and all you hear is a big splash as it hits the bottom. Make you a block by putting two pieces of hardwood together and drill a hole right where the two meet. Then drill at 90 degrees and put bolts to hold them together. Clamp it under the fittings while you unscrew the section up in the air.

And while I was typing a post, Kays Supply helps out on two problems!

Using jumpers to have the controller set aside.... DUHHHHH. And I'd have never thought of it. I have an inductive ammeter for my Fluke.

You saw my fear about losing the pump. I hadn't thought of MAKING one of those whatchacallits out of wood, just figured I'd have to buy one. And then the thought of still losing it all down the hole... scary.

I'm leaning toward hiring a pump company to make the change, if it comes to that.

Phil

 

[Phils]

Low amps, no water. High amps stuck / dragging.

Since I'm using a generator still for power, I notice it doesn't seem to be loading up at all. I normally pump 250 gallons every 4th day and it fully recovers in 4 more days. It's been two weeks since I last pumped so I gotta think there's water.

But this weekend I'll test some more.

In the meantime, I'm filling the cistern from a 150 gallon tank in my pickup. The water bill at the office doesn't even increase much (if any) for the amount I'm taking. My office, my water bill anyway.

Phil

 

[Kays Supply]

Wise choice on the easy way out. I have been involved in dropped pumps. Even the pros loose a few. The biggest thing is that sometimes you can't get a new on in if the old one is piled up in the hole. We had a scew type catcher to snag the wires and try to pull a dropped pump, I made one with grabber jaws and funnel to try to grab the pipe when it was a really heavy one. Some of the older ones years ago were on galvenized pile. 400' of that is HEAVY.

 

[tommu56]

Phils
My first pull the wimpy s hook pulled out of the pump and pump dropped
I still had the t handle on the pit less adapter holding the pipe

T handle and pitless and the polly pipe I took 2 chains about 3 ft long

Wrap the first one around the pipe 4 or 5 times and put a bolt back to the top chain with a nylon lock nut sorta like a noose then another single loop again with bolt and nylon lock nut
I hooked the top of this lower one to my engine hoist.

The upper one was rigged the same turns and hooked to the hook on the back of my hoe bucket.
I inched it foot by foot out of the well by lifting bucket the weight would come off the lower cinch and let pipe slide through when I would lower bucket for another bite it would put tension on loset cinch and it would hold pipe finish lowering bucket and lift again I think I repeated it 400 times to get the pipe out of the well

oh yea I have 180 or 200 ft of sch 120 sur-aline pvc pipe in the bottom of the well
and the cinches worked on this too

the cinches looked like a toughline hitches made with chain if you know what a toughline hitch is

I did un tape the wire from the pipe before running it through the cinches to keep from damaging it.

http://www.weatherford.com/weatherford/groups/public/documents/general/wft089592.pdf

tom

 

[tommu56]

Oh yea backwoods solar was cheaper for the pump than from my local grundfus supply house even with my discount for work.

and the guys there know their stuff
The local dealer had to look up the sq flex and said they never sold one and din'd know about the cu200 controler

Next time I get up there Ill take some pictures of the control panels

tom

 

[Phils]

Oh yea backwoods solar was cheaper for the pump than from my local grundfus supply house even with my discount for work.

and the guys there know their stuff
The local dealer had to look up the sq flex and said they never sold one and din'd know about the cu200 controler

Next time I get up there Ill take some pictures of the control panels

tom

Wow, tom! I KNEW TBN (via you in this case) wouldn't let me down!

The place I normally get my solar stuff (NAWS) said $1849 for the pump and I had to buy panels, couldn't use my inverter. I found another offgrid place (altersystems) that had a better price of $1772 but it's in CA and would have to add $150 more for sales tax which makes it even more. And I sent them in inquiry early yesterday about the inverter but no reply yet.

I've been to the Backwoods site but never bought from them... I'm VERY glad to hear you are happy with their knowledge and service. $1795 but no tax. And the lowest price on the CU200 of all three. And lower shipping.

My Xantrex inverter runs our jet pump so smoothly that I really was figuring it'd run the Grundfos with no problem. By contrast, using my old Heart Interface MSW on the previous jet pump you could hear the struggle.

I looked at the ShurAlign piping. My first pump had one continuous black poly pipe that we pulled a couple of times with a tractor and A-frame. Somewhere along the line it got changed to 10' sections of gray PVC. I only remember that because the last time the pump was pulled, every time a pipe was disconnected, that much water would splash out (I was helping). I had been considering going back to the one piece black poly but hadn't solicited opinions on that part yet. Pros and cons?

Since you used to do this work, what happens when you have a company pull the old, and install a new pump you are supplying? I used to be in auto repair and some of the rules changed with customer-supplied parts. KaysSupply makes some good points about having it done professionally.

Phil

 

[Phils]

Yes that is the pump I have because I am off grid with it I have a 2850 watt invertor to power it off 1820ah battery setup running it on 120v

tom

tom,

I'd been originally looking at the 6 SQF-2 but now I don't know why. It seems that the 3 SQF-2 may be a better choice for us and it appears that the price is the same on that series of helical rotor pumps.

Did you get the extended warranty that includes the lightening arrestor?

Phil

 

[tommu56]

Phil I am a one man band (not countin the wife daughter and 2 grand kids that i live with) I don't worry about service i do it all my self with their help ocasionly.
I just told the driller what I wanted he said he would do it and did it took him 3 weeks of pounding but he pulled out and said I got 20 gpm but that is another story that is why I ended up with cistern

I built my cabin 27 years ago with friends helping (they refer to it as my wooden tent) gas light frige and range and an out house 100ft too far away in the winter and 100 ft too close in the summer if you get my drift!

12 volt radio tv that use to get about 10 fuzzy analog channels now we get 6 good new pbs digital channels and no network stuff. (I'm not happy about the digital switch)

I added a 10x 20 ft mud room and bath room about 5 years ago after the well was drilled.

The solar came the year after the bathroom.

I use moistly 120v lights now (free fuel) in stead of the propane lights

I have about 100 different projects in the works at any one time not counting the wives help me do this (translated to do this for me)

And yes I did get the arrestor and warranty

and i have the 3 SQF-2

my battery's were cheaper from them too i had to go 50 miles to get them at a Trojan warehouse

Decka is 15 minuets from work and their prices weren't all that great and I couldn't find any reviews of their battery's good or bad Trojans were all good reviews 8 L16h's in series / paralleled at 12 volts

tom